The present invention relates generally to devices for holding one or more toothbrushes and for notifying a user when it is time to brush, and more particularly, to a device which holds one or more toothbrushes and which is programmable such that it notifies a user when it is time to brush and resets for another alarm cycle when the toothbrush is replaced in the device.
Several devices have been known in the art which hold one or more toothbrushes and which provide a visual incentive for a user, typically a child, to brush his or her teeth for a preselected period of time. Generally, these devices have included a visual display in the form of a mechanically animated animal. The animation of the device begins by depressing a switch or by removing the toothbrush. The animation assembly is controlled by an independent timer so that the animation begins for a preselected time when the assembly is activated. Such animation assemblies are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 2,926,487 and 3,021,666 to Stone and by U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,234 to Stubbmann.
The devices disclosed in the above listed three patents suffer from certain disadvantages. On disadvantage is that they typically contain a mechanical timer driven by a spring which spring needs to be rewound after every brushing by the user. The timers for these devices only operate while the user is brushing his teeth and thus these devices are incapable of signalling one or more preselected times when to brush. In these devices, the removal of the toothbrush in the devices begins the animation cycle and replacement of the toothbrush stops the cycle, and thus these devices only attempt to enhance the desirability of brushing, but do nothing to remind or signal the user when to brush. Another disadvantage of these devices is that they only accommodate one brush and do not have a signalling means capable of signalling brushing times for multiple, independent users.
The present invention is therefore directed to a device which avoids the aforementioned disadvantages and which provides a means for individually notifying one or more users at various preselected times for brushing. The present invention overcomes such disadvantages by providing a housing or base member with one or more receptacles or cavities, each of which is adapted to receive a toothbrush therein. The housing contains an audible or visual alarm mechanism operatively connected with each of the toothbrush receptacles and to a timing means by way of a series of individual circuits associated with each receptacle to define individual alarm circuits associated with each toothbrush. The timing means may be set to activate the alarm mechanism such that when a preselected time occurs, the alarm is activated for a particular toothbrush. Removal of that toothbrush from its associated receptacle silences the alarm. When the toothbrush is reinserted into the receptacle, the alarm mechanism for that receptacle and toothbrush is reset. Multiple alarm circuits are provided in the housing which are equal in number to that of the toothbrush receptacles so that an entire family of users can be easily accommodated in the device.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a programmable toothbrush alarm device which accommodates a plurality of toothbrushes in a housing and wherein the housing includes alarm means which operatively engage each of the toothbrush handles to provide an audible alarm circuit associated with each toothbrush.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device which holds a plurality of toothbrushes in individual slots, each of the slots having an alarm switch associated therewith, each of the alarm switches comprising an individual alarm circuit, each of the alarm switches being activated by the insertion or removal of a toothbrush handle into the slot.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush alarm unit which generates an audible or visual indication at any number of preselected times to remind a plurality of toothbrush users of the proper time to brush, the toothbrush alarm unit including a housing, a plurality of receptacles being disposed in the housing, each of the receptacles being adapted to receive a toothbrush therein, each of the receptacles having an individual alarm circuit associated therewith, the housing further containing timing means which is interconnected to the receptacles and to each of the individual alarm circuit associated therewith, the alarm mechanism being triggered when a signal from the timing means equals that of a preselected time, the alarm mechanism being shut off by removal of the toothbrush and subsequently reset when the user has completed brushing and reinserted the toothbrush into the receptacle.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an alarm unit for multiple toothbrushes held within individual slots in the unit housing which alarm generates either a visual or audible alarm at a preselected brushing time, the alarm being shut off by removal of the toothbrush by the user and the alarm being reset by insertion of the toothbrush into the slot.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description.